Some Dietary Do's and Don'ts

DON'T SKIP BREAKFAST: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Missing breakfast slows down your metabolism. Breakfast should be consumed within an hour of waking up because the body has gone without food the entire night.

CHEW MORE, EAT LESS: Studies show that the longer time you spend chewing, the lesser calories you consume. Chewing for longer prevents over-eating, by giving the brain more time to receive signals from the stomach that it is full. It is not only great for digesting, but it also helps in limiting your portion size.

CHOOSE HIGH-FIBER, SLOW-RELEASE CARBS: Highly refined carbohydrate like white bread, rice, potatoes, etc. should be avoided. Focus instead on high-fiber complex carbohydrates—also known as slow-release carbs. Slow-release carbs help keep blood sugar levels even because they are digested more slowly, thus preventing your body from producing too much insulin. They also provide lasting energy and help you stay full longer.

CHOOSE FOODS WITH HEALTHFUL FATS: Fats like trans fat which are present in many packaged food, fast food, etc., should be avoided and fats present in olive oil, nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans), and avocados should be consumed. Limit saturated fats from dairy and other animal products.

DON'T OVERCOOK YOUR MEALS: Overcooking food kills or reduces the number of nutrients your meal contains, and when you don't get enough nutrients, you don't feel satisfied and soon start to get junk food cravings. Avoid microwaving.

FRUITS BEFORE MEALS: It is advisable to eat fruits at least 30 minutes before any heavy meal. This way, the fruits will digest quickly. Eating fruits on an empty stomach detoxifies your system and supplies you with a great deal of energy for losing weight. Eat fruits such as apples, pears, peaches, and berries. Even tropical fruits like bananas, mangoes, and papayas tend to have a lower glycemic index than typical desserts. Eat a healthful type of protein; non starchy vegetables at most meals

HAVE SMALLER MEALS, MORE OFTEN: Ideally, you should eat five to six times per day, with a two to three hour break between each meal or snack. Eating more frequently gets your metabolism going and keeps it working at an elevated level continuously throughout the day. But don't use this rule as an excuse to overeat.

AVOID EATING AFTER 8 PM: It's good to eat your last meal before eight in the evening. This way you don't land up binging on a snack before dinner time. If you find it hard to resist, have some herbal tea or brush your teeth after dinner immediately to switch your mind off from the idea of eating.

THINK AND DRINK: While everyone knows it's necessary to drink at least eight to 10 glasses of water, very few know when one should consume it. When you drink is as important as what you drink. If you drink water in-between meals, the liquid slows down digestion, diluting the acid in your stomach and so the nutrients from the food that you eat are not well absorbed. To avoid this try to drink water 15 minutes before or after a meal, and if you really need to drink while you eat, limit yourself to small sips only.

It’s probably this indecision of the Diet Industry that has led to obesity across the world actually doubling instead of reducing. This is in-spite of huge amount of content we get every day on diet, nutrition and tips for healthy living.

Every part of the body requires energy in the form of food. Food can be used as an energy provider as well as used as a poison. Some wonder foods found abundantly in many places around the world are natural health optimizers.